Approximately 5 million of the 17 million people in the Netherlands are registered to one of the 35,000 sports clubs in the country. About two thirds of the population older than 15 years participates in sports weekly.
The Netherlands competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. Dutch athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since its official debut in 1908. Netherlands, however, boycotted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary. The Netherlands National Olympic Committee sent a total of 210 athletes to the Games, 134 men and 76 women, to compete in 21 sports. Baseball, field hockey, and men's volleyball were the only team-based sports in which the Netherlands had its representation at these Games. There was only a single competitor in women's fencing.
Teun Floris de Nooijer is a field hockey player from the Netherlands, who twice became Olympic champion with the Dutch national squad, in 1996 and in 2000, and was on the team in 2012. He currently plays for Dutch side HC Bloemendaal and in Hockey India League for Uttar Pradesh Wizards.
Ellen Marijn Hoog is a former Dutch field hockey player, who is regarded as one of the best Dutch hockey players of her generation.
Danny Buijs is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is the head coach of Eredivisie club Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands.
Johanna "Janneke" Dorotheo Maria Schopman is a former Dutch field hockey player who played as a defender for Dutch club HC Den Bosch and the Netherlands national team. She last served as the head coach of the Indian women's national field hockey team.
Alyson Regina Annan is an Australian field hockey coach and retired field hockey player, who earned a total number of 228 international caps for the Women's National Team, in which she scored 166 goals. Since 2022, she is also the current head coach of the China women's national field hockey team.
The Netherlands women's national volleyball team is the national volleyball team of the Netherlands. It is governed by the Nederlandse Volleybalbond (NeVoBo). Following the 1995 European Championship they hosted in Arnhem and finishing fifth at the 1996 Olympics, the Dutch have had moments of success amidst instability, such as the title of the 2007 FIVB World Grand Prix, and a return to the Olympic Games in 2016, where the Netherlands got to fourth place.
Ronald ("Ron") Ferdinand Zwerver is a volleyball coach and former volleyball player from the Netherlands who represented his native country in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988 in Seoul. Zwerver was one of the dominant forces in Dutch volleyball in the 1990s. He was selected as the "best attacker" at both the 1990 and 1994 FIVB World Championships.
Jorge Edson Souza de Brito, known as Jorge Edson, is a Brazilian retired volleyball player. He was a member of the Brazil men's national volleyball team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain by defeating the Netherlands (3-0) in the final. He played as a middle blocker. He was born in Porto Alegre.
Jordy Buijs is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre back for RKSV Halsteren. He can also play as a midfielder.
The Netherlands competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. This was announced in an official statement on the NOC*NSF website. In the statement they named the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games as a highlight in sports to which a lot of sportspeople, coaches and the Dutch sports fans would look forward. The Netherlands aimed for a top 10 nations ranking in the Olympics as well as a top 25 ranking in the Paralympics; they ended up ranking 12th at the Games.
The Netherlands competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Dutch athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis and 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which the Netherlands boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary. The Netherlands National Olympic Committee sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since 1988. A total of 175 athletes, 95 men and 80 women, competed in 18 sports.
Peter van Huizen was a Malaysian field hockey player of Dutch ancestry. Born in Seremban, he attended St. Paul's Institution, Seremban where he would later coach alongside his brother Lawrence van Huizen, making them a powerhouse for local school-level football in the 80's.
Anne Elise Buijs is a Dutch volleyball player. She has been a member of the Women's National Team since 2008. She is the daughter of Internacional coach and ex-volleyball player Teun Buijs, who trained her for several clubs in her career. Her mother and older brother were also volleyball players. She currently plays for Italian club Igor Gorgonzola Novara. On March 2 2023, Buijs married Ana Carolina Da Silva, her long-time partner who plays as a middle blocker of Brazil Women's Volleyball National Team.
Celeste Elle Plak is a Dutch volleyball player, who plays as an outside hitter. She plays for Victorina Himeji, and is the first non-caucasian player to be a part of the Netherlands women's national volleyball team.
Kirsten Joke Hermine Gleis is a retired Dutch female volleyball player.
Teun is a Dutch masculine given name. It is a short form of Teunis, itself a derivative of Antonius (Anthony). It is also considered a diminutive form of Antonius, Anton, Antoon, Anthonis, Anthoon, Antonie, and Antonis used in Belgium, Netherlands, Suriname, South Africa, Namibia, and Indonesia. As a birth name it has risen in popularity since the 1980s. People with the name include:
The following teams and players took part in the men's volleyball tournament at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in Seoul.
The Netherlands competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. Dutch athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis and 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which the Netherlands boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
